Heavy Duty Locking Casters
Heavy duty casters are Hamilton's sweet spot. We've earned our national reputation as one of America's leading manufacturers of heavy duty casters, because we build the toughest on the planet. Over the years, we've learned that casters used in heavy duty applications need to be engineered to take abuse in all types of environments. Whether they are our Super Duty casters, or Extra Heavy Duty casters, these casters are built for extremes. They range in capacities from 1,000 pounds up to 40,000 pounds per caster. And all of them are made right here in the U.S.A.
The components of our most popular swivel design are constructed from hot forgings. Steel that is formed by extreme heat, and pressure. The main load bearing, is a row of steel balls contained within a CNC machined channel called a raceway. It swivels the horn base in relation to the mounting plate. The main load bearing counteracts the direct downward forces exerted on the caster from the load it is supporting. The secondary load bearing is a precision tapered bearing, designed to handle the side forces that occur when swiveling under load. And, because the kingpin is a forged steel and integral to the top plate, it will never bend or break.
And we guarantee it for life. For continuous use, or 24/7 applications, Hamilton engineers developed the Hamilton Precision Integrated Swivel Design, or HPI, for short. This revolutionary design is similar to the one just described, except instead of balls rolling in the raceway, we engineered a unit roller bearing in between two extremely hard and smooth raceways to further reduce friction. HPI outperforms all conventional designs and is ideal for continuous applications up to 15,000 pounds. Kingpinless casters, as the name suggests, eliminate the kingpin. Unlike conventional casters, the ball bearings literally hold the top plate and yoke base together for added capacity and reliability. Unlike many competing designs, Hamilton's Kingpinless casters are built from forgings for the ultimate tensile strength.
The forgings are machined to precision tolerances, and their raceways are hardened. And when we add an integrated seal into our design, our Kingpinless casters are maintenance-free as well. As you increase caster capacity, the size and thickness of the components grow with it. For example, our 2000 pound rated Workhorse caster has a 3/4 inch guaranteed for life kingpin, 1/4 inch thick mounting plate, and 1/4 by two inch flat steal legs. In contrast, our 23,000 pound rated Maxi-duty has a 1/4 inch guaranteed for life kingpin, a 5/8 inch thick mounting plate, and the legs are a beefy 3/8 by five inch formed steel.
Bearing choices for all Hamilton heavy duty casters are; precision ball bearings, straight roller bearings, or precision tapered bearings. Available options include swivel locks, welded to the rigs for more reliable locking, as well as side foot brakes, face contact brakes, and bearing seals. They're everywhere, you will definitely find heavy duty casters on factory floors and many other places you might not think about. Most of our heavy duty casters are stocked at the factory for same day or next day shipment. So you can have the toughest casters on the planet in your operation tomorrow. This Hamilton Academy video provided an overview of heavy duty casters. For selection assistance, or to learn more about their design and construction, visit HamiltonCaster.com